A couple of months ago I was thrilled to find the Muppet Show on Netflix. I thought it was finally time to introduce it to my kids. There’s so much good stuff, from Debbie Harry singing “Rainbow Connection” with Kermit the Frog to Kenny Rogers and the creepy-old-man-Muppets performing “The Gambler,” and of course Rita Moreno and Animal’s feisty “Fever.” I knew they would love it as much as I did.
“Turn it off,” my 5-year-old said. “I don’t like one minute of it,” my 6-year-old chimed in.
>How could they not like it? It has sarcastic, dry humor and 70s pop stars. And puppets. What is not to love?
I was going to do anything I could do to get them to love the Muppets. I still remember the night my mom woke me up to see Kermit the Frog guest host the Tonight Show. Well, all it took for the younger one was a viewing of the Muppets doing Bohemian Rhapsody. For the older one, it was Cat Cora.
When my invitation came to see The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora last week I was very excited. I told my older son that just the two of us would go and the 5-year would be picked up from school by their dad. Well, my husband lets them play endless hours of Wii, takes them to In N’ Out, and gives them candy. “I want to go with Dad,” he said.
I explained how we were going to Disney Studios. How Cat Cora was making all the food. How there would be Muppets. Real live Muppets! “Why can’t I go with Dad?”
“Cupcakes,” I told him. “There will be cupcakes.”
That got him there, but he ended up really loving the show and, of course, the only female Iron Chef, Cat Cora.
The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora is a really cute web series (and I’m not saying this because I’m a geek who loves Muppets). Cat Cora and her Muppet assistants, Pepe the King Prawn and Muppet Chef Angelo, try to get kids excited about cooking and eating healthy. On Disney.com they do two shows, one called Hasty Tasty Cooking Tips and Muppets Kitchen.
We got to see Muppets Kitchen live where they made popcorn with nuts and dried fruit. It was tasty and so was Cat Cora’s watermelon gaspacho. They took questions from the audience and my 6-year-old asked, what is the fastest thing to make? I didn’t hear the answer because I was so impressed that my 1st grader asked a thoughtful question in a crowded room filled with adults and cameras.
After the show Cat signed copies of her new cookbook “Cat Cora’s Classics, With A Twist.” I think the first thing we’ll make is a gluten-free version of the roasted plum shortcakes.
We were given the book along with a bamboo recipe box filled with recipes and The Muppet Show Season 3. Say bye, bye to the Wii kids, our free time is going to be spent watching The Muppet Show. Guests include Loretta Lynn, Danny Kaye, and Liberace! I have the feeling the kids are going to be saying “We want to be with Dad,” a lot more.
